Apple hires two Google satellite execs for 'new hardware team'

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 49
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    Why does the internet service need to be satellite?  Why not reduce the distance with high altitude solar drones in a parking orbit at say 65,000 feet or so and get complete coverage (actual elevation would depend on avoiding winds)? You can easily have them come down and land to service them, and put a stack more up than you can satellites, and build in much greater capacity.  And they can be upgraded much more rapidly.
    edited April 2017 watto_cobra
  • Reply 22 of 49
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    f Apple wants to actually Innovate, they've got to stop blaming the lack of new chips and the lack of this or that, and actually innovate a way around it.  That's what innovation is.  It's finding a solution when none of the options are working.  

    quite so.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 23 of 49
    ksecksec Posts: 1,569member
    How will it support its users? 
    Satellite direct to each iPhone. Dont think that works, even 1000 users per Sat that is only a Million. And iPhone users are only part of the total Network users.

    Sat to tower? Who is going to build the tower? Regulation Approval.
    How does it scale?

    May be this is only about Apple Map, but wouldn't flying drones be better?

    watto_cobra
  • Reply 24 of 49
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    lkrupp said:
    lkrupp said:
    Trouble is we hear abut these hires and special projects and nothing ever comes of them. 
    Not with that attitude.
    If you’ve been around here for a while you would know that I’m usually defending Apple against trolls and naysayers. But it’s becoming clear that Apple has nothing ‘in the pipeline’ that’s coming anytime soon. Everything appears to be years away, if ever. Sure, we’ll get new macOS, iOS, watchOS, tvOS announcements at WWDC but nothing significant in the hardware department. And my patience is wearing thin. Where are all those supposed $billions on R&D going anyway?

    What equally scares me is that not only is the largest Tech company struggling to keep products coming consistently that aren't named iPhone but that we unleash thousands of computer science majors every year and these silicon valley black holes just suck them into the singularity.   I feel a bit like technology has ground to a halt but then again I lived through the glory years of Tandy, Commodore Vic-20, Wang computers, Trash 80  Osborne and more.  Now you get two choices.   OS X or Windows, iOS or Android,  Intel or AMD.   

    As excited as I get for Apple's future technological marvels my enthusiasm is tempered a bit by the realization that perhaps i'm expecting a wee bit too much from a company that cannot merge my Apple ID email and my iCloud email. 
    Ha!  I remember a speech by Guy Kawasaki where he described a gent who sat around with his Apple in one hand and his Wang in the other  :D

    What bothers me about some of the naysaying, and I don't disagree with all of it, is that people just don't seem to understand that just inventing new categories of products isn't that easy.

    yes, Apple has made some mistakes. That's nothing new. The Lisa was a mistake. The Apple III was a mistake. Not opening the original Mac to upgrades was a mistake. The Cube was marketed so badly that it became a mistake. Unfortunately, the 2013 Mac Pro turned out to be a mistake. Those are the big ones. There were more than a few minor ones. The Pippen was one. The round mouse was another. Seriously, we can go on and on.

    but it doesn't matter. All companies make mistakes. Some make them every year. As a percentage, Apple has likely made fewer.

    my beef is that they no longer update their models often enough. And yes, they don't have enough ports.
    edited April 2017 randominternetpersonSpamSandwichfastasleep
  • Reply 25 of 49
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    entropys said:
    f Apple wants to actually Innovate, they've got to stop blaming the lack of new chips and the lack of this or that, and actually innovate a way around it.  That's what innovation is.  It's finding a solution when none of the options are working.  

    quite so.
    Because, you guys, a lot of the innovations Apple wants to do is based on what these new chips can do
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 26 of 49
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    I use the iridium network regularly on a sat phone.  It is flaky, you have to be outside, and if its raining forget it. The phones are still the bricks you bought in the nineties.  Ripe for disruption if you can improve the connection and update the phones. Personally I would look for a completely different solution.
  • Reply 27 of 49
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member
    entropys said:
    I use the iridium network regularly on a sat phone.  It is flaky, you have to be outside, and if its raining forget it. The phones are still the bricks you bought in the nineties.  Ripe for disruption if you can improve the connection and update the phones. Personally I would look for a completely different solution.
    It's priceless where there are no other data/voice options but not for the masses because physics. The bands used don't penetrate well and require repeaters.

    might be useful for recieve only SMS or Short Burst Data on a watch but cell is likely easier.
  • Reply 28 of 49
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member
    @crotchety graybeards don't try selling that BS here when many other folks like me were here during that "golden" age you're pining for back when.  The amount of whining then and now hasn't changed. 

    Same BS about lack of new products, why doesn't Apple upgrade the PowerBook to the G5, no Apple HDTV, the cube is a failure and shows Apple is out of touch, iPods a distraction, blah blah blah.

    The rate of change and new products announcements today is higher than the period where we would have 500+ post mega threads on the next powermac spec bump.
    randominternetpersonStrangeDayswatto_cobrafastasleepcornchip
  • Reply 29 of 49
    k2kwk2kw Posts: 2,075member
    melgross said:
    lkrupp said:
    lkrupp said:
    Trouble is we hear abut these hires and special projects and nothing ever comes of them. 
    Not with that attitude.
    If you’ve been around here for a while you would know that I’m usually defending Apple against trolls and naysayers. But it’s becoming clear that Apple has nothing ‘in the pipeline’ that’s coming anytime soon. Everything appears to be years away, if ever. Sure, we’ll get new macOS, iOS, watchOS, tvOS announcements at WWDC but nothing significant in the hardware department. And my patience is wearing thin. Where are all those supposed $billions on R&D going anyway?

    What equally scares me is that not only is the largest Tech company struggling to keep products coming consistently that aren't named iPhone but that we unleash thousands of computer science majors every year and these silicon valley black holes just suck them into the singularity.   I feel a bit like technology has ground to a halt but then again I lived through the glory years of Tandy, Commodore Vic-20, Wang computers, Trash 80  Osborne and more.  Now you get two choices.   OS X or Windows, iOS or Android,  Intel or AMD.   

    As excited as I get for Apple's future technological marvels my enthusiasm is tempered a bit by the realization that perhaps i'm expecting a wee bit too much from a company that cannot merge my Apple ID email and my iCloud email. 
    Ha!  I remember a speech by Guy Kawasaki where he described a gent who sat around with his Apple in one hand and his Wang in the other  :D

    What bothers me about some of the naysaying, and I don't disagree with all of it, is that people just don't seem to understand that just inventing new categories of products isn't that easy.

    yes, Apple has made some mistakes. That's nothing new. The Lisa was a mistake. The Apple III was a mistake. Not opening the original Mac to upgrades was a mistake. The Cube was marketed so badly that it became a mistake. Unfortunately, the 2013 Mac Pro turned out to be a mistake. Those are the big ones. There were more than a few minor ones. The Pippen was one. The round mouse was another. Seriously, we can go on and on.

    but it doesn't matter. All companies make mistakes. Some make them every year. As a percentage, Apple has likely made fewer.

    my beef is that they no longer update their models often enough. And yes, they don't have enough ports.


    I think it was Renee Ritch on the iMore Podcast that said when Apple takes away the option to upgrade it has a responsibility to keep their designed either refreshed/updated.

    As much as I can understand their secrecy about their product development I think Apple would get a lot of positive feedback if they commit to a public refresh/update/redesign schedule.

       iPhone - Yearly refresh in the fall

       iPhoneSE - Every two years in the spring

       iWatch - First 3 Product releases yearly followed by every two years in the fall

       AirPods - First 2 Product Releases yearly followed by every two years in the fall

       AppleTV - Every two years in the spring

       iPad - Refreshed every two years in the Spring

       iPad Pro - First 2 product releases yearly then every two years in the Spring

       MacBook - Yearly refresh in the Spring

       MacBook Pro - Yearly Refresh in the Fall

      iMac - refreshed every two years in Summer

      MacPro - refreshed every 2.5 years (Spec Bump) Redesign every 5-6 years

      AirPort Extreme - Every 3-4 years

    They have to realize that People who run business need to be able to rely on product lines being maintained. 

    I'd also like for them to throw some new products into the mix

        iPhone XL (iPhone 7 form factor with battery twice as large) every two years in Spring Alternating with SE.

       Apple Home Hub/Speaker - Yearly first two years then every two years in Spring.

       iOSBook - iOS Based laptop (1.5 pounds for 9.7 in screen, 2 pounds for 12.9 screen in the summer yearly first two years then every two years.


         


  • Reply 30 of 49
    lkrupp said:n
    lkrupp said:
    Trouble is we hear abut these hires and special projects and nothing ever comes of them. 
    Not with that attitude.
    If you’ve been around here for a while you would know that I’m usually defending Apple against trolls and naysayers. But it’s becoming clear that Apple has nothing ‘in the pipeline’ that’s coming anytime soon. Everything appears to be years away, if ever. Sure, we’ll get new macOS, iOS, watchOS, tvOS announcements at WWDC but nothing significant in the hardware department. And my patience is wearing thin. Where are all those supposed $billions on R&D going anyway?
    We all need to step back and realize all our gadgets would still be weighing 3lbs. if it weren't for all this R&D. The iDevices and Apple Watch would be impossible. Jobs saw this long ago when he pushed for lean power use, leaner coding, etc. The small stuff adds up bigly down the road, and, yes, it's a slow and expensive process.  We all want it yesterday and reality isn't so.  We all can see the benefit of future technology but engineering it for mass production is a different animal. The scale is enormous. We don't yet have automation mastered, but, again, Apple is taking steps to get there. Calculated steps, not Google leaps.  Steadfast patience.
    randominternetpersonStrangeDayswelshdogwatto_cobrafastasleepcornchip
  • Reply 31 of 49
    evilutionevilution Posts: 1,399member
    Woohoo! 5G high speed satellite broadband for a reasonable price throughout the whole world.
  • Reply 32 of 49
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member

    Because of its recent work with Intel (modems) -- I suspect that Apple is working on a telephony-related offering...

    There are some unique opportunities in the consumer and enterprise marketplaces.

    What are your suspicions? Satellite phones? Phone service providers outside of the US? 
  • Reply 33 of 49
    melgross said:
    my beef is that they no longer update their models often enough. And yes, they don't have enough ports.
    I'll let you know if I ever have all 4 of my thunderbolt 3 ports in use at the same time.  I think I've hit 3 for a few minutes a few times.  Personally I find it great to have 4 ports of every possible type available at any time.
    StrangeDaysfastasleep
  • Reply 34 of 49
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,844member
    lkrupp said:
    Trouble is we hear abut these hires and special projects and nothing ever comes of them. Still relying on the iPhone to keep the ship afloat. Everything else appears to be a ‘hobby’. Sort of like Google’s barge in San Francisco bay. You’d think the world’s most valuable company, drenched in cash, would be able to juggle several major products at the same time. But everything is always ‘in the pipeline’ isn’t it?  New iMacs? In the pipeline. New Mac Pro? In the pipeline. Streaming packages? In the pipeline. Self-driving vehicle? Maybe in the pipeline. VR/AR? In the pipeline. AppleTV? Only God knows. That pipeline should be constipated by now. Apple = iPhone and Google = Advertising. And not much else.
    What the pipeline complainers don't realize is all the things have been already released were previously the things referred to as in the pipeline. iphones, ipads, macbooks, airpods, watch, etc -- all were once in the pipeline. pipeline doesn't mean "Holy shit we now sell starships!"
    welshdogwatto_cobrafastasleep
  • Reply 35 of 49
    cornchipcornchip Posts: 1,945member
    Kevin KJL said:
    Apple sets up its own cellular 5G network that supplements all carriers so any Apple device has better coverage than all competitors regardless of what carrier or features they support.
    … Thereby fulfilling Steves Pure Vision.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 36 of 49
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    entropys said:
    I use the iridium network regularly on a sat phone.  It is flaky, you have to be outside, and if its raining forget it. The phones are still the bricks you bought in the nineties.  Ripe for disruption if you can improve the connection and update the phones. Personally I would look for a completely different solution.
    As far as I know, Elon Musk is still planning to launch a large series of SpaceX satellites so they can offer a space-based Internet (Exonet?). Presumably his low Earth orbit satellites would be able to also offer telephony services.
    edited April 2017
  • Reply 37 of 49
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,844member

    lkrupp said:
    lkrupp said:
    Trouble is we hear abut these hires and special projects and nothing ever comes of them. 
    Not with that attitude.
    If you’ve been around here for a while you would know that I’m usually defending Apple against trolls and naysayers. But it’s becoming clear that Apple has nothing ‘in the pipeline’ that’s coming anytime soon. Everything appears to be years away, if ever. Sure, we’ll get new macOS, iOS, watchOS, tvOS announcements at WWDC but nothing significant in the hardware department. And my patience is wearing thin. Where are all those supposed $billions on R&D going anyway?
    Sorry but this is completely nonsense. The notion that "i don't see it therefore it doesn't exist" is....well, not one of your finer moments. Revolution is rare. 
    watto_cobrafastasleep
  • Reply 38 of 49
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,844member

    smaffei said:
    lkrupp said:
    That pipeline should be constipated by now. Apple = iPhone and Google = Advertising. And not much else.
    Couldn't agree more. Apple has become the behemoth they were always fighting against. But, at least they have a cool new building to FAIL in.
    Nothing but low-value hater narrative. Not grounded in reality. Feels good to say, tho, I bet. 
    welshdogwatto_cobrafastasleep
  • Reply 39 of 49
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,844member

    sog35 said:
    lkrupp said:
    Trouble is we hear abut these hires and special projects and nothing ever comes of them. Still relying on the iPhone to keep the ship afloat. Everything else appears to be a ‘hobby’. Sort of like Google’s barge in San Francisco bay. You’d think the world’s most valuable company, drenched in cash, would be able to juggle several major products at the same time. But everything is always ‘in the pipeline’ isn’t it?  New iMacs? In the pipeline. New Mac Pro? In the pipeline. Streaming packages? In the pipeline. Self-driving vehicle? Maybe in the pipeline. VR/AR? In the pipeline. AppleTV? Only God knows. That pipeline should be constipated by now. Apple = iPhone and Google = Advertising. And not much else.
    Services.

    That's bigger than Facebook.

    Apple Watch.

    That's bigger than Amazon Echo.

    Airpods.

    A multi-billion dollar company

    Apple Music. Another multiple billion company.

    Mac just had its biggest quarter ever.

    iPad is still the #1 tablet in the world.

    WTF more do you want?
    You know full well what we want.  It's what we actually used to get.  You know...new Macs.  How 'bout them apples?  Apple has truly screwed people over with all of their supposed R&D and what have we gotten to show for it?  A BS Touch Bar on a laptop with practically no ports?  Is that what you're suggesting is so great?  Because let's be entirely clear here, the headphones are cute and all, but I don't care about them in the least when it's new Mac's we're after.  Not sure what the folks at Apple are actually doing, but they certainly aren't releasing new Macs.  Hell, I've had a 4k TV for over two years now, and I can't even get an AppleTV that can push 4k.  What the hell are they waiting for?  What the hell are they actually doing?  They certainly aren't releasing stuff, and don't even get me started on their "Innovating, my ass" comment and their entire lack of upgrades for the Mac Pro.  

    If Apple wants to actually Innovate, they've got to stop blaming the lack of new chips and the lack of this or that, and actually innovate a way around it.  That's what innovation is.  It's finding a solution when none of the options are working.  They are "supposedly" spending all of this money on R&D.  Well if they are, they certainly don't have teams actually designing and pushing out new Macs.  But you're right.  If all you ever care about is the iPhone, iPad, and Watch, then things are certainly looking rosy.  They are damn splendid even.  For the rest of us, we're getting hosed and Apple doesn't seem to care, which is what is truly upsetting.  So get Phil's ass out on stage and get us some new Macs that aren't slight tweaks to existing models.  Innovate damn it.  Innovate.
    Another anonymous guy who knows what apple "needs". Sorry bub, but who else's put out a desktop as nice as the 5k imac? tell me? no one. new imacs coming or are you pretending not to know? but macs aren't the future anyway, they're the past. while i'm pleased the mac is still a thing, it's no longer the star of the show. you must realize that. and if you think apple is just sitting around eating bon bons...well, there's a reason you aren't running the most successful public company in the history of our species, and tim cook is. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 40 of 49
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,625member
    Kevin KJL said:
    Apple sets up its own cellular 5G network that supplements all carriers so any Apple device has better coverage than all competitors regardless of what carrier or features they support.
    To a degree, Huawei already does this on its 4G network backbones.  A Huawei phone connecting to Huawei technology will squeeze the most out of it but you will probably only notice the difference in situations where signals are affected negatively (going into tunnels etc).

    Remember that in most countries, carriers are forced to share their backbone technology amongst all licensed operators operating in the country. It would be no different for Apple and as I said before, to get on the 5G wagon, it would need to have relevant patents. Huawei is already testing 5G networks with its carrier partners (and this without the spec even being finalised yet).

    Apple could get into the carrier business but wouldn't be allowed to setup it's own exclusive network either (for the reasons mentioned above).
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